Synthesis of nanoscale titania embedded in MIL ‐101 for the adsorption and degradation of volatile pollutants with thermal desorption gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detection

Nanoscale anatase titania was embedded within the porous chromium terephthalate MIL ‐101 under low‐temperature hydrothermal treatment. The metal–organic framework shell acting as host matrix can effectively prevent the titania nanoparticles from aggregating and enable a good dispersion of these nanoparticles. The X ‐ray diffraction spectra, transmission electron micrography and X‐ray photoelectron spectra clearly showed successful impregnation of the nano‐sized anatase titania within the body of MIL ‐101. The resulting TiO 2 / MIL ‐101 nanocomposite was considered as bifunctional material with abundant adsorptive domains and catalytic domains, and was packed in a quartz tube as a convenient trapping and photocatalytic reactor for hazardous volatile pollutants. The composite showed great potential for adsorptive and photocatalytic degradation of these volatile pollutants, such as formaldehyde and o ‐xylene, which were online monitored by thermal desorption gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection.